Stephen Hawking wins new physics prize, and £1.8 million
Stephen Hawking has yet again taken the world of science with a big bang (no more space puns we promise)
Stephen Hawking was awarded the Special Fundamental Physics Prize this week in recognition for his lifelong contribution to science. The Milner Prize is the most lucrative academic prize currently awarded, with the substantial £1.8 million prize fund being roughly 3 times more than that which is awarded to the Nobel Prize winners.
The prize is awarded by the Fundamental Physics Prize Foundation which was founded by Yuri Milner, who dropped out of his PhD in Physics to invest in social media websites, who has described himself as a ‘failed physicist.’ Unlike the Nobel Prizes these awards can be given to teams of people, with the second of the two prizes this year being awarded to seven scientists at CERN who have been working on discovering the Higgs Boson.
Hawking won the prize in recognition of his considerable contribution to physics over the years. Perhaps most important was his 1974 discovery that black holes radiate energy, evaporate, and eventually disappear – a discovery which had considerable impact on our modern understanding of both space and matter. Other prominent areas of his research have included work on quantum gravity and the early universe.
Hawking wrote that he was "delighted and honoured” to receive the prize. However he remained modest when discussing the role of prizes in science in general saying: “No one undertakes research in physics with the intention of winning a prize. It is the joy of discovering something no one knew before. Nevertheless prizes like these play an important role in giving public recognition for achievement in physics. They increase the stature of physics and interest in it."
"Although almost every theoretical physicist agrees with my prediction that a black hole should glow like a hot body, it would be very difficult to verify experimentally because the temperature of a macroscopic black hole is so low" he added. It is thought to be because of this lack of experimental verification for his theories that the physicist has yet to receive a Nobel Prize for his work.
On top of being arguably the most famous scientist in the world, Hawking also has a lifelong affiliation with Cambridge University. A former post-grad of Trinity Hall, he held the position of Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the University for 30 years until 2009, and is still a frequent visitor to the University to continue his research.
When asked how he planned to spend the prize money, Hawking replied that he would like to ‘help my daughter with her autistic son, and maybe buy a holiday home, not that I take many holidays because I enjoy my work in theoretical physics."
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